Chapter 19 – Lexi
nineteen
Lexi
I sit here in the middle of the bed, my legs folded, the television playing in the background. My hands shake and my stomach flutters as I read the text thread over and over again.
Me:
I have…
Kirby:
What does that … mean?
Me:
I think you want to give me the job because you feel sorry for me.
Kirby:
Trust me, I feel a lot of things for you but sorry isn’t one of them.
I close my eyes and lean back on my pillows before stretching out my legs in front of me. The phone in my hand feels like it’s a fifty-pound dead weight.
“You have to answer him,” I mumble to myself when the phone vibrates again in my hand and I look down at it.
Kirby:
I dare you to do it.
My fingers move before I can think, and the next thing I know, I’m putting the phone to my ear and listening to the sound of it ringing. It feels like it’s been ringing for five hours when not even one whole ring goes by when he picks it up midway. “Yes?” he says, not even bothering with hello.
“You can’t dare me to take a job,” I huff out at him.
“Why can’t I?” he asks and I hear him moving on his end, and I wonder what his house looks like. “Is there some rule somewhere that I don’t know about that says I can’t dare you when it comes to a job offer?”
“Kirby,” I say his name softly and then close my eyes.
“Lexi,” he says my name back in the same tone, and I don’t answer him. Both of us just sit here listening to the other person breathe. “Why don’t you want to take help from your parents?”
“Because it’s embarrassing,” I finally admit. “I’m almost thirty and my parents have to buy my house.”
“Did you ask them to buy your house?” he asks me and I don’t answer him, because he knows full well I would never. “Are you sitting at home doing nothing but wasting the day away, not bothering to work or taking the steps to get a job?”
“Okay, I get it.”
“I don’t think you do. Accepting help doesn’t mean you failed.”
“I know that also, but I just should have had things organized before.”
“What would you have done differently?” I listen to his question and I seriously have to think about it. “Would you have stayed longer, just so you could save up money?”
“I don’t think so.” My voice trails off. “I didn’t even know I was going to leave him that night.” I close my eyes.
“What was it that made you want to break free?”
I swallow the lump. “I think it was a bunch of little things that just accumulated and pushed me over the edge.” I sink down in the bed, to where my head is now on the pillows. “I worked so hard on the fundraiser that would make him and the hospital look good, and he ruined it.”
“I had a hand in that also.” His voice is soft.
“Why did you go out there?” I ask him. “What happened?”
“He didn’t tell you?” he asks the question and then I hear him sort of hiss. “Of course he wouldn’t. I walked out there to get some air. I just needed to…” He trails off and I close my eyes. “And he was there with this blonde.”
“Tatum.” I fill in her name.
“Whatever her name was, and they were…” He doesn’t want to say it, no doubt not wanting to hurt me. Even though he owes me nothing, he’s still not going to say it. I wait for him to tell me what happened before I tell him my side of it. Each word feels like it hurts him more than it hurts me.
“He tried to turn it around and say I was the one who let this happened.”
“Shocker.”
“He didn’t come home with me that night,” I tell him.
“Ordered another car and told me he needed space to think about what happened. Needed me to think about what I did. It was supposed to punish me. The whole time in the car I thought about how this was my big night and he should have supported me, but instead he made things about him.” The tear escapes.
“He spent the night fucking Tatum, and when I called him in the morning to tell him I left, he said he would stop.”
“I’m going to need you to stop talking right now,” he grumbles between clenched teeth, “and I take back the dare. I’m not daring you.”
“What?” I chuckle. “Why?”
“Because it’ll be me trying to force you to do it and it’s not right,” he admits and I hear the sound of a meow.
“Do you have a cat?” I sit up in bed.
“I do,” he confirms. “Jefferson. She’s an acquired taste.
” His laughter fills the phone. “She chooses when she wants to be rubbed. She likes to be escorted to her food plate, even though there is always food in it.” I slowly put my head back down on the pillow, the smile filling my face as he talks about his cat. “She also hates to be held.”
“She sounds delightful.”
“She is,” he agrees, “in her own way.” He exhales deeply. “Seriously though, I want you to come and work for the foundation because I think you would make it that much better. But I’m not going to dare you to do it.”
“Okay,” I say softly, “I won’t take into account the dare.”
“Thank you,” he replies and then silence lingers between us. “I’ll let you go.”
“Okay.” I don’t want to let him go but I’m not sure how to prolong the conversation. “Have a good night.”
“It’s one of the best nights I’ve ever had. Goodnight, Lexi,” he adds quickly and then hangs up.
I look down at the phone and then do something I haven’t done in ten years.
I start a social media account. The first thing I do is search his name and then see the first picture of him is of him on the ice.
I scroll down and stop at a couple of videos to hear what he is saying.
Each time it’s an interview about the game.
There is a picture of him at a blackjack table with a caption of Casino Night, with Jaxon in the back of it.
I scroll until I see a picture of his cat.
She’s sitting down with the cutest face I think I’ve ever seen on a cat; she’s all black with a little patch of white on her chest. The caption says it all, Meet Ms. Jefferson.
I smile before shutting it down and placing my phone to the side.
Sleep comes easy to me, so easy that I’m shocked when I open my eyes nine hours later and I’m literally in the same position I was when I fell asleep.
I stretch my hands over my head before tossing the covers off me.
I wash my face and brush my teeth before grabbing my robe and making my way downstairs.
“The wheels on the bus go round and round,” Ariella sings softly as I walk into the kitchen.
She’s sitting on the stool with Jagger beside her in his highchair, as she is feeding him his cereal. “Morning,” I say with a smile on my face. Jagger turns his head to my voice and smiles. “Morning, handsome boy. How did we sleep?”
“He woke up once at three and then went back down again,” Ariella shares. “It was magical.”
I make a coffee before going over and standing on the other side of the counter, leaning over it with my elbows on it while I take a sip. “Is Jaxon gone?”
“He is,” she confirms and then turns her eyes to me. “Last night was fun, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” I admit to her.
“You and Kirby.” I look at her, not saying anything, and then I shock the shit out of her.
“Me and Kirby have a history.”
The gasp fills the room. “Not that type of history.” I rethink my words. “But he—” I smile. “We became friends when I was in Phoenix.”
“When?”
“After your baby shower.” I clear up the timeline. “We came face-to-face with each other at the hospital. He was there to volunteer, and he got roped into being one of the bachelors at the fundraiser I was throwing.”
“And,” she eggs me on.
“And nothing, really, we became friends. He—” I take a sip of my coffee. “He figured out I was going through something with Trent.”
“How?”
“Not sure,” I say, not willing to give away his past. If he wants anyone to know, he’ll tell them. “But he knew I was going through things and he was…” I shrug. “…there.”
“I had no idea,” she says softly.
“No one did.” I smile at her. “I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Well, I’m glad he was there to help you through it then.” She reaches across the island and puts her hand on mine and squeezes it.
“I applied for the job,” I tell her and her eyes go big.
“What job? The one I told you about?”
“The foundation Kirby owns,” I point out and she shrugs.
“I didn’t know you two had a history or I wouldn’t have mentioned it.” She scoops some cereal in the blue plastic spoon before giving it to Jagger. “How did it go?”
“Well, after getting over the shock that it was him, I think it went well.” I smile at Jagger.
“Are you going to do it?”
“I think so,” I admit to her, standing up now and placing one foot on top of the other. “I love what they stand for, and it’s someplace that I would feel like I’m actually making a difference in people’s lives.”
“I think you’d be perfect for the job,” she encourages me, “and you’d have a kick-ass office. We are just getting the stuff delivered now and it’s so pretty.”
I smile. “Now all I have to do is decide if I’m going to take the house.”
“This is so exciting.” She looks at Jagger. “Isn’t this exciting, little man?” Then she turns to me. “A new job and a new house.” She whistles. “Watch out, world, Lexi Petrov is back.”
* * *
A short while later I’m sitting in front of the house I fell in love with when I came across it online.
I didn’t tell anyone about it when I went to do a secret visit.
The minute I walked in I fell more in love with it.
It’s a two-bedroom house and comes right in my budget.
I see the brown-stained door with the matching one-car garage.
I smile as I walk up and put the code in the lock pad as the bottom springs out with the key.
I turn the key in the lock and step in a little closed-in patio and I smile at how cute and charming it is.
I walk over to the real front door, open it, and I suddenly feel like I’m home.
A small entranceway is there, and when you walk in a bit more, you have the kitchen to the right.
It’s nothing grand. No island in the middle, just a stainless-steel fridge, next to two ovens against the wall, with a stove top next to it.
A small counter space before the sink. It’s small and quaint and perfect.
I walk into the open space that’s the living and dining room and head straight to the back of the house; the thing that made me want to seriously consider this house.
I push open one of the two doors and stand out on the wooden balcony.
The sounds of roaring waves hit right away as I smile, walking over to the glass railing.
Looking to the left, I see the bedroom that leads onto the same balcony.
This is where I’m planning to have my coffee in the morning.
I can see myself doing yoga in the middle of here once I push the table and couch to the side.
I take my cell out of my purse and FaceTime my mother, who answers after one ring. “Hey, sweetie.”
“Hey, Mom,” I say as the wave hits again.
“Are you at the beach?” she asks me and I nod.
“I think I found a house,” I tell her and her eyes go big. “And,” I say with an even bigger smile, “it’s in my budget.”
She laughs. “Well, let me see it,” she urges me eagerly, waiting for me to take her on a tour.
“Okay, but remember this is for me and I think I love it,” I say and she nods her head.
“The kitchen is small,” she notes, “but you’re one person.” After the tour, she states, “You can use the second bedroom for extra closet space. Unless you knock down the wall and just make it one giant space.”
“I don’t know, it might be better for resale purposes if I keep it two bedrooms,” I mention and she agrees with me.
“I want to make an offer,” I tell her and she smiles and then I see the tears in her eyes. “Do you not like it?”
“I love it,” she says. “What’s more, I love that you love it.” She wipes away her tears, making me cry.
“Also, I went for an interview for a job with a foundation that helps relocate victims in abusive relationships.”
Her eyes go big. “I think that you are going to help a lot of people, Lexi.” She sniffles. “I feel like if there was ever a job made for someone, that job was made for you.”
“I think so too,” I agree with her. “Look at all these changes.” I giggle.
“I thought I would be overwhelmed and it would weigh down on me. Making all the choices on my own and not being steered in the direction that I should go.” I wait for my chest to feel the tightness, but it’s not there. “Now, please get me this house.”
“I’m on it,” she says and then smiles. “I’ll call you back.”
“I look forward to it,” I tell her and she disconnects the phone and I pull up his number.
I press the phone button and listen to it ring once, twice, three times when his voice now fills my ear. “You’ve reached Kirby.” I smile when I hear his name. “Leave me your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” I wait for the beep before I talk.
“Hey, Kirby, it’s Lexi,” I start to say and then hear I have another call coming in, and when I look down, I see it’s him calling me back. “You’re on the other line.” I laugh. “Bye,” I say, pressing the switch-call button. “Hello.”
“Lexi,” he says and it sounds like he just woke up.
“Are you sleeping?” I look at my watch and see it’s three in the afternoon.
“Yeah, we have a game tonight before we leave, so there is always the afternoon nap,” he explains and I sit back on the outside chair. “Where are you? It sounds like you are in a tunnel.”
“I’m sitting on my hopefully soon-to-be balcony,” I tell him, “but I was calling for something else.”
“What’s up?” he asks as I hear the covers rustle from his side of the phone and I wonder if he sleeps with boxers or naked. The thought of Kirby naked makes the back of my neck heat up and my mouth water.
“I’ve decided to take the job,” I start, “with one condition.” I bite my lip, wondering how he’ll take this condition. “We ride a roller coaster together.”
He huffs out, “Fuck no.” I can see him shaking his head side to side.
“Come on, Kirby,” I say teasingly, “I dare you.”